Let Me Tell You A Story
by Dr Megalomania
Summary: Something Terrible has happened!! Keroberos is the victim, and Yue... doesn't care .... or does he? Warnings: A bit Gory, weak stomachs take the first left!


Well, hello! And Welcome to My Little World of Weirdness!

I state for the record that, despite the fact I really, really wish I did, I don't own any of the characters that will grace this story; it's all CLAMP's! Always has been, always will be!

Also I don't pretend to have any Mastery over the language of Japanese or any clue as to correct grammatical structure. I put it in and hope it gets across the point I'm trying to make!

Let Me Tell You A Story.

By Dr Megalomania.

[A/N – Yue is speaking to the reader, he's flown away from Sakura to tell you this]

That Dark Force; that disturbed Clow card, was particularly strong, I'll say that much.

"Why did Clow do this to us?!" wailed the Mistress, her frail little body, her shimmering battle costume, even her honey coloured hair was splattered with blood, "There was no way we could have ever defeated that thing!"

I folded my arms, and closed my eyes at her uncontrolled bout of emotion. My feet are wet. Strange. It hasn't been raining, although the Mistress did use the Rain card, the Watery, the Freeze . . . she threw everything she had at the Dark Force, after it had broken through her first line of defence. Keroberos and I had been battered away as if we were nothing but an insect annoyance.

We attacked with everything we had; still nothing had abated it. Then it disappeared, simple as that, it disappeared. Leaving us with a trail of destruction, and with wounded. 

I glanced down at my feet. It wasn't water that was staining my white robes. Fluttering my ripped wings painfully, I lifted myself above the ground, out of the pool of blood that was gathering there. I followed the scarlet trail with my eyes, to the carcass that had once been my brother. 

Keroberos lay in the Mistress' arms.

Stone. Cold. Dead.

I cocked my head to assess the damage. The Dark Force had snapped his spine, as if it was a twig. The slashed rip in his stomach was the source of most of the blood. It had plucked and ripped his wings, I snorted in faint amusement, just as it had mine, I thought bitterly. I lowered myself to the ground again. My wings hurt. They burn pain all over my back.  

Do you know what? I realised what had actually killed him was that final sharp deathblow. It had had been strong enough to crack the bejewelled helmet that he trusted so full. I can feel my chest constricting, not in grief, no, in disgust. How dare he trust something so frail!

I feel a rage building, an ice-cold boiling rage fill my heart, my soul twisting with fury and with sorrow and with pure hatred.

But it's not directed at the Dark Force. I'll not spare a drop of emotion for it.

"He's a traitor." I spat aloud.

The Mistress' wide, naïve, emerald eyes blinked up at me. Her face smudged with dirt, and sweat. Her tears flowed freely down her pallid cheeks; her honeyed hair had lost its usual shine and was tinged with drying blood. She still clutched the carcass close to her as if there was a slim chance that it would breath life again. 

"The Card?" she whispered in confusion.

"No. Keroberos." I corrected harshly. "If he had been doing his duty to you, he would not have allowed himself to die." I glared at the carcass' unseeing eyes, they were cold now, the sparkle had left. Their old flashing gold had turned into ruined rust. "Nothing but a damned traitor."

She crumpled emotionally, "Yue!! Don't say that! PLEASE DON'T SA-------

I don't like this. In fact, I'm bored of this story. Let me tell you of . . .

 . . . Earlier tonight. Yes, Earlier tonight will be less painfu— I mean, more interesting for me to tell.

My False Form, the ever-cheerful Yukito was having dinner with the Mistress' family. 

It was . . . something western, I believe. A roasted meat, with roasted vegetables and a thick, rich sauce. It was very nice; even I enjoyed some of the six helpings Yukito indulged in. once we had finished, their father went to his study.

Just like Clow did, I reflect.

Clow would prepare enormous and delicious feasts. We'd enjoy them every Sunday afternoon, the entire day spent in enjoying this meal together. I even used to eat back then. I used to have half of the appetite that Yukito now possesses. When Clow died, I stopped eating completely. No one would ever match his penchant for cooking, I decided. So, I shifted my appetite to my False Form and----

I'm digressing, aren't I?

This isn't exactly the story I wanted to tell you. Well . . . let's see, where was I?

The Mistress' father had left and retired to his study, Touya and my False Form gathered the dishes to clean them and the Mistress rushed up the stairs.

No doubt she was concealing a pudding or two, one or both were destined for the stomach of Keroberos . . .

. . . 

Moments later I blink. I realise I've been silent for a while. I'm sorry. My thoughts, my feelings, everything that's happened tonight, makes me so distracted. I breathe in slowly to clear my head and begin again. 

I was telling you about Touya and my False Form. 

They were washing up. Well, to be precise, Touya was doing the washing; my False Form the drying. They had an easy banter which made the work pass quickly. My False Form indulged in a light session of teasing, while Touya retorted with gruff but friendly barbs. Let me explain something. They have been lovers for a very short while. This hasn't done anything to change their friendship; both are still the same to each other. It had happened after the Final Judgement. I had been so distracted by the reawakening of my duty, that my control over him had slipped a little. He took the chance to reveal his true feelings to Touya. 

Ironic, isn't it?

False Form with true feelings, True Form with false feelings. 

I'm avoiding what happened tonight. I know it, you know it. I wonder if the Mistress knows it . . . she's so naïve of . . . things.

So innocent . . . I draw a ragged breath, it's not because of any grief, because I am in pain. I tell you, and myself. Liar.

Her childhood's over, one of her guardians has been killed. 

My . . . brother, my only brother, is dead.

He let himself get killed. Just like Clow did, he just let himself slip away. 

He left me. They both did.

How could they do this to me? 

How could they betray me like this?

I pause. That's the real reason, the real reason he's a traitor. He promised that I'd never be alone again. Not after Clow died.

I look at you. Yes, I know I'm yelling. I'm bleeding too; I've bitten my lip so hard that I can taste the bitter metallic liquid seep from the puncture. I shake my head. Well . . . I laugh bitterly; I have to tell you sometime, might as well get into it.

Keroberos was my brother. The Guardian Beast of the Seal. The only other guardian Clow Reed made during his lifetime. Keroberos would choose the candidate; I would judge their fitness.

That's why Sakura is the Mistress now, although she did fail the first time, Clow's bell allowed her to have a second chance . . . 

I trail off as I realise something. When she failed, I erased everything. 

I still have that power.

I scramble to my feet and take off, leaving you far behind me, staring after my sudden departure in confusion.

A half formed idea has taken a hold of me. I'll continue this story to you even though I have left you far behind. 

My idea is this.

If I erase everything that has happened, everyone's memory for real this time, permanently, forever.

Then . . . 

Kinotomo Sakura would never have found the Book. Never had released the Cards. Keroberos would never have had to pronounce her the Cardcaptor. I would never have had to judge her and pronounced her the Mistress of the Cards.

The Dark Force would never have appeared. 

We would never have had to fight it. 

Keroberos would never have had to die protecting the Mistress.

We'd both be safely sealed within the protective confines of the Book.

But then . . . I cease my despirate flight, and float thoughtfully in the cold midnight air.

My False Form. He'd cease to exist for them. For Sakura, she'd lose her first crush. For Touya, his new love.

They'd be robbed of a dear, close friend.

I can almost hear him begging within me, pleading to stop, not for him, but for them. They would be devastated. There's something else too . . .

Keroberos. Would he want me to change the past?

This evening, after the Mistress had fallen into a sound sleep, after Touya had kissed his lover goodnight and began his slumber, Keroberos asked me to join him on the roof.

I gently detangled Yukito from Touya's embrace and transformed.

I found Keroberos sitting on the roof, gazing toward the moon. He smiled as he felt me draw silently closer.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" he stated quietly. 

I could have teased him and feigned ignorance, but tonight didn't seem like the night for sibling rivalry. "Yes, it has." I murmured as I lowered myself to sit beside him.

He cocked his head to look at me, and smiled gently. He pushed his shoulder against mine. "Happy birthday, Yue" 

I smiled back at him, this was the one-day of the year we'd put our differences aside. "Happy Birthday, Keroberos."

I let my legs dangle off the roof to allow him to lie in my lap, as we gazed up at the stars together. I gently stroked his fur absently. He chuckled quietly. "We're a right pair of old men, aren't we?"

"You're a lion." I corrected teasingly, and gave a little chuckle of my own when he growled at me playfully.

"You know what I mean!"

"Of course I do." We shared a quiet laugh. And then it began.

There was never any warning, I realise now. Not even a glimmer of magical substance tainting our senses.

The battle was brief, but violent. I . . . I'd rather not relive it again.

Suffice to say, we were lucky it had dissipated when it did.

Lucky? Sakura's leg was badly gnashed, her friend, Tomoyo lay out cold. My wings were ripped, that's the only damage that I'm really aware of, I doubt that my wings are the only thing that's been harmed. And then there's Keroberos.

I told you what happened to him. 

I begin my flight again; I fly back to the Mistress. 

As I land in the park I see that the others have arrived. Too late. 'You're too late!' I want to yell at them. But I restrain myself. Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun run toward me. Ruby's eyes are brimming with tears, she has some comprehension of the pain I must be feeling. Spinel on the other hand, gazes at me gravely; of the two, he has an inkling into my thought process. I stare past them, towards the humans.

Li Meilin is tending to Tomoyo, who's sitting up now. She looks stunned. I guess the news of Keroberos' death hasn't quite sunken yet.

Li Syaoran is trying to pull Sakura from Keroberos' body. She screams at him, she screams for Keroberos. Her brother is also here, he placed a hand on Keroberos' face. To close his eyes. I close mine as he pulls his long coat over the body. I open my eyes and look at the last human. 

Hiirawagizawa Eriol stared back at me. He's the half reincarnation of my former master. His lavender-grey eyes searched my face gravely. He knew what I had come back to do as well. His pale lips pressed together, as he shook his head, silently telling me my plan wouldn't work.

My eyes watered. The tears I had been fighting so hard this night filled my eyes. My head began to swim and my knees finally gave way. Ruby grasped my arms and allowed me to sink slowly to the ground. Her tears slid down her cheeks in a perfect mirror as my own. My chest constricted harder than before, my anger at Keroberos' death finally turned to it's true form, grief. As I bowed my head, I noticed my hair poured over my shoulders, significantly shorter. In the battle I lost my long ponytail, but I didn't care. 

In the battle, I had lost my brother.

My only blood family in this universe.

I'd lost.

The End.

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DrM: Ouch! That is too sad! I don't like sad endings!!

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[Alternative ending . . . ]

//My only blood family in this universe.

I'd lost.//

A hand grasped Yue's shoulder tightly. 

"Yue . . ." the Mistress had recovered somehow, had stopped her crying and was now standing before him. A cold determination crossed her face. He raised his tear streaked, muddied face to her, amethyst eyes betraying a deep pain. She ignored it, she had an idea and she was determined to see it all though. "Can you erase this? Erase all of this?"

His face crumpled once more, his eyes sliding shut. "I could Mistress, but . . . it wouldn't work."

She breathed in quickly, and clenched her fists by her side. She was trembling with a deep rage. And Yue knew why. He smiled tearfully as he gathered her in his arms. She stood rigidly until she finally broke down. 

"WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?!!" she screamed into his torn hair. 

Yue stared at the stars, the same stars he and Keroberos had been looking at earlier that night. 

"I don't know" he said simply, "I just don't know."

A wind gathered around them and whipped his short hair about his face; a glow lit them from beneath. He glanced down to see Sakura's magic circle draw itself under their feet. The others jumped back as the magic wind blew faster and harder. Sakura pulled away from Yue enough to take in what was happening. Inside the circle, the wind was gentle, like the eye of a storm. 

Sakura brushed her short bangs out of her eyes, "Yue, what's happening?" 

The moon guardian's reply was drowned out when a stream of gusting magic surrounded his form. 

Sakura's magic key flew over to the circle from where she had dropped it. It spun in front of her and transformed into her staff without her command. She stared at it, no knowing what was happening. 

"SAKURA!!" her head snapped towards Eriol, "GRAB THE STAFF!! TRUST YOURSELF!" he yelled to her.

She looked fearfully at the glowing staff.

"TRUST YOURSELF!!" Syaoran joined with Eriol, the others soon joined them, "GRAB THE STAFF!! SAKURA! HURRY!!"

Throwing herself forward, Sakura grasped the magical staff with both hands. The magic enveloped her as well, whipping around and through her. She closed her eyes as it snaked its way up her small frame. She felt her eyes dry of their tears, her face cleaned of its blood, sweat and tears, her hair freshened once more. She gasped as the magic left her. She looked at herself; she was clean, and strong again. 

Sakura whirled the staff in her hand, around her body, and above her head. She felt magic run through her veins again. She raised the staff back as if to strike a Clow card, feeling a new incarnation push past her lips.

"RETURN MY GUARDIAN TO HIS FULL MIGHT!!" She stuck the air between Yue and her, "RELEASE!!"

The magic that had been surrounding Yue, hiding him from sight, exploded and streamed away from him. The magic circle faded. The wind died away. 

Sakura ran towards her kneeling guardian. She stopped when she realised what had happened. His long ponytail trailed away from him once more, his clothes now their usual dazzling white. As he stood, his wings flexed, once again their orderly feathered, glowing Bluish-purple white. His head snapped up, his pallid features were pure once more. Amethyst eyes were clear and cool, and betraying the same shock Sakura felt.

He looked as his hands, his arms, his clothes not a speck of blood tainted them. His mouth fell open, as he looked slowly up at her. He didn't look as if he was breathing. His eyes flitted from her to the covered body of Keroberos.

Almost trembling, Sakura clutched her staff tighter and turned. 

She paused briefly, worried it may not work a second time. A hand clamped on her shoulder, it startled her. She turned; Syaoran's serious deep brown eyes stared back at her. He leant forward and kissed her lightly. "Trust yourself." he nodded confidently. 

Sakura's resolved harden, and she nodded back. She glanced at Eriol, who smiled encouragingly and nodded.

Then to Tomoyo, who smiled broadly from behind her camera and gave her the thumbs up. This warmed Sakura slightly. Tomoyo had the confidence that this was going to work or she wouldn't be recording. Her eyes travelled over to Li Meilin, who grinned excited and clenched her fists, "Yeah! Do it, Sakura!"  

Her brother nodded silently once, "Go, kaijuu!" he said quietly.

Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun stood behind Yue, Ruby smiled at her defiantly while Spinel mimicked his master.

Sakura came full circle to look at Yue. His eyes still looking at his partner, then they trailed down to look at her. He nodded once, confidently.

Sakura turned and approached the remains of her sun guardian. His blood still staining the pavement and the grass.

She expelled a quick breath and closed her eyes. She held the staff in on hand out to her side. She began to whirl it slowly, feeling the magic gather again. She could sense the magic circle draw itself beneath her again; she could hear the magical wind howl about her. Once again she stood in the eye of a supernatural storm. Sakura felt the magic ebb and flow around her, and whirled the staff faster about her being. Finally she felt the magic reach it's peak, throwing into the staff back into its sealing position, she screamed the incantation above the howling magic.

 "RETURN MY GUARDIAN TO HIS FULL MIGHT!!" she threw her whole force into swinging the staff, Keroberos depended on her. The staff struck it's invisible target. "RELEASE!!"

She felt herself recoil backwards, as the magic swirled faster around Keroberos. She staggered and regained her balance as Keroberos' body was lifted off the cold ground and them magic blinded her as it shone brighter.

When the magic finally exploded and streamed away from him, she threw herself to the ground and covered her face. Only when the bright glow faded, and she became aware that her magic circle had faded did she look up. Sakura saw the others had taken a similar action as she had. They all helped each other to their feet. She noticed that Yue wasn't with them and scrambled to her feet, she turned and found Yue kneeling. Just beyond his wings, Sakura saw Keroberos' hind legs on the ground. 

She had an awful idea that it hadn't worked. Sakura rushed forward to Yue's side. He was shaking Keroberos, and muttering. Leaning closer she heard what he was saying clearly.

"Wake up. Please wake up."

She almost lost hope, as time seemed to stretch. But then:

"AHH-CHOO!" Kero sneezed and rolled groggily onto his stomach. "Urggh! What happened? What hit me? A truck? Bring me pudding."

"KERO!!" Sakura squealed and threw her arms around his neck. She pressed her face against his fur and breathed in happily, and then threw back her head, "IT WORKED!! HE'S OKAY!!"

As the rest of the group ran over to greet Kero back to the land of the living, Yue stepped back. He'd save his greetings for later.

I clambered on to the roof, once Sakura finally fell asleep; she had insisted that I stay very close to her until I was sure that she was sleeping. I gave her a goodnight nuzzle and climbed out the window to meet Yue. He'd asked me to meet him on the roof.

I found Yue sitting on the roof, gazing toward the moon. He smiled as he felt me draw silently closer.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" he stated quietly. 

I could have teased him and feigned ignorance, but tonight didn't seem like the night for sibling rivalry. "Yes, it has." I murmured as I lowered myself to sit beside him.

He cocked his head to look at me, and smiled gently. He pushed his shoulder against mine. "Welcome back, Keroberos." 

I smiled back at him, this was the one-day of the year we'd put our differences aside. "See? I told you you'd never get rid of me."

He let his legs dangle off the roof; it was his invitation for me to lie in his lap, as we gazed up at the stars together. He gently stroked my fur absently. He chuckled quietly. "We're a right pair of old men, aren't we?"

"I'm a lion." I corrected teasingly, and gave a little chuckle of my own when he growled at me playfully.

"You know what I mean!"

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And now it's time for LEAVE IT TO DOCTOR MEGALOMANIA!!

DrM: konnichiwa!! There we go! Much better! I'll never be a good angst writer! I can't stand sad endings!!

This is the one that's going to replace the angst-y version of 'Guardian Beast of the Seal, Wimpy, Scaredy Cat.' That one is only going to have a tiny bit of angst but at least I won't have Yue find Kero dead . . .

Kero: You scare me.

DrM: I scare myself . . . do I scare you minna-chan? Please R&R and tell me!!


End file.
